Facilis Descensus Averno
by TheLokiExperience
Summary: The Games don't make you, they break you. But what if you faced the risk of going in again? The Quarter Quell sets everything in motion, and the monsters that the Victors tried so hard to hide are about to resurface. Who can you trust, when everyone is fighting to save their own skin? Then there are the whispers of rebellion... Finnick/OC; Gale/OC
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

**A/N: Hey everyone :) So this is the prologue for our story. The prologue focuses on the parents of the main OCs to establish important background, but the actual story will take place during Hunger Games period onwards and focus on the OCs themselves. Hope you enjoy, and please review to let us know what you think :)**

* * *

_Haymitch Abernathy, District 12. Victor of the 50th Hunger Games._

It had all been a joke, right from the very beginning. He couldn't believe that he bore the brunt of such ill fortune, such bad humour at every step of the way, but the alcohol seemed to make it slightly funny. He had been sixteen when he had been reaped for the 50th Hunger Games, along with Maysilee Donner and two other Seam kids – Nolan and Piper. That was the first joke, the warm-up act. Being reaped for a Games where his odds of survival were halved.

Nolan and Piper died in the bloodbath. District 1 took Nolan's head off, and Piper had throat slit by District 8. He remembered their cannons, their faces lighting up the sky. Impersonal. It had been different with Maysilee. Haymitch Abernathy had been there for her final moments, holding her hand as she choked on her own blood.

Haymitch thought an even bigger joke was that against all those odds, against twelve Careers, he had managed to win. It didn't seem like a Victory. Not at first when he stumbled out to see the only other Victor from 12, Livia, waiting for him with hands pressed over her mouth. Not when his mother, girlfriend and younger brother had been shot by Peacekeepers, a demonstration of why he shouldn't defy the Capitol, shouldn't know about the force field that surrounded the arena. Not even when Livia died the following year of a drug overdose, leaving him the sole miserable Victor from District 12.

Then life started to become serious. He started drinking. He met Janelle. The cruel jokes that fate seemed to store up for him dried up. That's all life became: mentoring, drinking and Janelle. When they were eighteen, she told him that she was pregnant. He sobered up for a while then. If he was going to be a father, he might as well be a good one, right? What a _joke._

They were nineteen when their daughter, Kahlia, was born. She looked just like her mother, and Haymitch really wanted to be a good parent, he did. But the Games had a way of ruining everyone, and so did the depression of watching all the tributes he mentored die. It was mostly in the bloodbath. He liked it better that way, because he didn't get his hopes up thinking they might, when they didn't really stand a chance.

Three years later, their second child was born. Kameron. That's when life started pointing at Haymitch and laughing again – because Janelle died only days later, weak from childbirth. He, a drunk in his early twenties, was left to raise three-year-old Kahlia and newborn Kameron. He did the best he could, but Haymitch always had the unsettled feeling that it was never good enough. That he was never truly worthy of being a father.

There were sporadic periods of sobriety, where Haymitch sobered up enough to actually fell like a proper parent. But then the pain kicked in, the knowledge of Janelle's death and the feeling that he could never have anything good in his life without losing it. Little did Haymitch realise, watching his two children grow up, how right he was. Little did he realise that life was about to reintroduce the cruellest joke of all: the Hunger Games.

* * *

_Solana Vesper, District 4. Victor of the 56th Hunger Games._

She was sixteen years old when she won the 56th Hunger Games by slashing open the face of her final opponent with a powered saw. But as the blood spattered her face and her body, and the girl from District 2 screamed until it died down to a gurgle, Solana Vesper couldn't feel relieved. How many deaths had she caused? She hadn't meant for it to happen. She was not a murderer at heart. But looking back, it had all been done in self-defence…in order to save her own skin.

Mercedes, the girl from District 2, was a given. The girl had hated Solana from the start, mocked her and derided her at every opportunity. Solana had tried, but her rejection and her snide comments had stung. She couldn't understand why Mercedes loathed her. What had she done to anger her, apart from existing? But looking back further still, Solana writhed in the uncomfortable knowledge of a possibility for Mercedes's hatred.

Ace, Mercedes's district partner, was a charming boy. He seemed to think he was god's gift to women, but Solana saw right through him. She saw the killer behind that lazy smile, and she mistrusted him even as they became allies. Mercedes had looked to Ace for approval, but his eyes had always been on Solana. So her smiles became bitter, lips twisting downwards into a scowl.

Solana's first big mistake was Ace. How long had they been in the Games, two days, maybe three? She was on watch and he attempted to slide his hand up her thigh. She had smacked his hand away, a warning. But Ace had pulled her close, sneering, telling her she liked it. It was that, more than him pawing at her breasts, that made her stab him repeatedly until his cannon woke the rest of them. _You want this._ She hadn't, she had been repulsed by him. Why couldn't he see it was Mercedes that wanted him?

Mercedes had been Solana's final opponent, and the most difficult to defeat. She had staggered to the power mains, bleeding profusely from a terrible wound in her back, and she had picked up the powered saw and rent the other girl's face open. It wasn't something she relished. It wasn't something she regretted. It had been a necessity, for self-preservation. Solana had wanted to _live._

After the Games, Solana had been approached by President Snow, and what he said disgusted her. He wanted her to become a courtesan for the Capitol, to sell her body to men. When Solana learned her first client would be during her Victory tour, she found the courage she'd never had before: the courage to cause herself harm to avoid a far worse fate.

Solana looked in the mirror and she saw a beautiful girl with a beautiful face and she _hated_ it, all the trouble it had brought her. She took up a razor and slashed cuts over her cheeks, so that no sane Capitolian man would possibly want her. But then they took her to the medical centre and fixed her up, and when she saw her reflection, Solana screamed in despair. She was pretty again.

The clients had been an agony. Solana was roughly used by them, and the first time it happened, she curled up and cried afterwards. She became used to it, closed her eyes to the vileness of it all. But then she missed one of her periods. And the period after that. Solana did the test because she had to know, she _had_ to. It came back positive. She was pregnant.

At first, the thought of carrying a Capitolian's child disgusted her. Solana wanted to get rid of the baby. But the more she thought about it, the more she doubted her own decision. Mags was the only one she told, and Mags had pressed a hand over her stomach where her baby grew, and smiled. It was only then that Solana realised, amidst the pain and the anguish, she had been given a gift.

Solana was only seventeen when she gave birth on Christmas Eve. Mags was there the whole time, never once letting go of her hand. When it was over, Solana sweating and exhausted from being in more agony than she had ever known, it was Mags who wrapped the baby in a white blanket and handed her to Solana. _A girl._

Solana smiled and stroked back the baby's fine, fair hair. She immediately felt a fierce love for this little one in her arms, for her daughter. She might be young, but she wanted to care for this child as best she could. She named the baby Cassia, and promised herself she would protect her daughter from the horrors she had faced – a promise she would inevitably break.


	2. Shattered Victories

**Chapter One: Shattered Victories**

* * *

** A/N: Wow, so happy at the response for the prologue! So here's the first chapter, which is set during Hunger Games era. Please let us know what you think!**

* * *

Kahlia glanced around as she knocked on the door of her best friend, recently turned boyfriend, Gale Hawthorne's, house. The two had been good friends for as long as Kahlia could remember, due to Gale being the same age as her younger brother Kameron. She and Gale had grown closer after the 72nd Hunger Games. The year that Kam had been reaped and the year that Kahlia and Haymitch had mentored him, watching as he was killed when there were only seven tributes left.

She looked up when Hazelle opened the door, a smile on her face as she spotted Kahlia. Hazelle had been like a mother to Kahlia, always taking care of her and Kam. "Kahlia. Come on in."

Kahlia walked in, smiling when she saw that Posy was running around the house. She wished she could've been that carefree age again. Not having to worry about the Hunger Games, or anything like that. Her next move was to scan the small house for her boyfriend, frowning when she didn't see him. It was nearly the middle of the day and he should've been awake by now.

Hazelle knew she was looking for Gale. "He's still asleep."

Kahlia nodded, a little surprised. "Oh. Okay."

"You're welcome to wake him up." Hazelle smiled, having been planning to wake her eldest child anyway.

"Kahlia!" Posy exclaimed as she ran into the lounge room, throwing herself at the twenty-one-year-old.

Kahlia picked her up, hugging her close. "Hey, Posy." "Want to help me come wake Gale up?"

"Yes." Posy's face lit up with a grin at the suggestion of being able to annoy her older brother.

Kahlia put her down, opening Gale's door slightly. She could hear his faint snoring from where she stood; his sleeping form sprawled in the middle of his bed. Kahlia watched as Posy ran over to the bed, jumping on Gale. She laughed as Gale groaned, rolling over and trapping his sister beneath him, all the while Posy giggled, tickling him and clambering on him after wriggling from beneath him.

Gale glared at her. "Get off."

"Posy!" Hazelle called and Posy got off Gale, running out to see what her mother wanted. Kahlia shut the door after she left before jumping on Gale herself, drawing another groan from him.

Gale sighed. "Really?"

Lia just grinned at him, crawling under his blankets, snuggling up against him, wrapping her arms around him. Gale smiled as he watched her, kissing her cheek. She rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes as he stroked her hair back from her face.

"Morning." She whispered, breaking the silence that had befallen the two of them.

Gale watched her, trailing his fingers up and down her back. "You woke me up."

"Its nearly lunch time." Lia told him, looking up at him.

He raised an eyebrow, not understanding the point she was trying to get at. He wanted a lazy day. "So?"

"So its time for Mr. Hawthorne to wake up." She winked, running her fingers over his bare chest. She couldn't remember when he had gotten so muscular, but she liked it.

"Such a fancy name." He joked, earning a small laugh from her, though he had a feeling it was forced. Gale sat up, watching as she yawned loudly. "Now who's tired?"

"I didn't sleep last night." She told him, staring up at the ceiling.

"Nightmares again?" He questioned, knowing that it was the most likely reason for her not having slept.

"Reaping tomorrow." Lia mused, glancing at him.

Gale nodded. It wasn't a day that any person in their district forgot. "I know."

Kahlia sat up, crawling into his lap. "How many times is your name in?"

"Forty-two." Gale answered, putting his arms around her waist, leaning against the wall.

Lia leant back against him, gripping one of his hands tightly in her own. "I don't want you to go in."

He kissed the top of her head, holding her close against him. "Lia, it's okay."

"No, its not. Every year I have to go through this hoping you don't get picked." She sighed, pushing herself to her feet and walking over to the floor length mirror he had stuck to the back of his door.

Gale watched her. "It's the last year. You'll see, it'll be alright."

Lia turned back to face him. "Can I stay here tonight?"

He smiled, nodding. "Sure."

"Now I can help Posy annoy you." Lia winked, grinning at him, a mischievous glint in her eye. Gale groaned, wondering why he had said yes, but this only served to make Lia's grin grow. "You love me."

Gale quirked an eyebrow at her words. It was his turn to grin at her. "Do I?"

"Yes. Yes you do." Lia examined her hair, taking it out.

As she began to fix her hair, her eyes drifted to the scar that marred her face. She'd received it whilst fighting the male District 2 tribute at the end of her Games. His sword had blinded her in her right eye, but her vision had been repaired and her eyes reconstructed. She'd only won her Games from getting a lucky hit.

Now she had a long scar that ran from her left temple to the corner of her jaw on the right side of her face. That wasn't the only thing that had changed in her appearance after her Games. She'd lost weight, making her seem stick thin due to her height. She'd always been tall and thin, but never this thin. She knew it was because of her running, all the fat she'd once had was now muscle, with the exception of her slight curves.

Gale's voice brought her from her thoughts as she tied her hair back up and out of her face. "Checking yourself out?"

"My hair." Lia spun around to face him, flopping back beside him, making him smile.

* * *

"You have to take something else off," Finnick Odair stated casually as he leaned against the wall and folded his arms over his bare chest, grinning across at his partner in crime and the other strip poker player.

Cassia Vesper sighed heavily. It wasn't uncommon for her and Finnick to play games like this. It was a good thing her mother had known Finnick since he had become a Victor, and knew that the two of them didn't intend anything of a sexual nature. She glanced down at herself. Sometimes she wondered why Finnick hung around with her, considering she was seventeen and he was twenty-three. But she knew why – she and her mother were among the few in District 4 who actually understood him.

"Does my bracelet count?" she asked almost pleadingly.

Finnick considered, before offering one of his trademark beams. "No."

"But my shirt does, right?" Cassia rolled her eyes to the heavens. She and Finnick had been close since she had been eight and he fourteen, but it had only been since she had won the 73rd Hunger Games that she had developed a true appreciation of what it meant to be a Victor. Aside from her mother, Finnick was the person who would often calm her down from horrific nightmares.

Finnick shrugged. "Mine's off."

"You're a guy," Cassia pointed out sagely, "You don't have boobs."

"Neither do you," Finnick teased. He knew she did, but he just loved winding her up. Sure enough, Cassia smacked his arm, before tugging her shirt off to reveal the black bra she was wearing underneath.

"Well? Huh? Still think I have no boobs?" Cassia demanded, but her tone was playful. "I would tell you my bra size, but then you be smug due to knowing."

"A C-cup at least," Finnick remarked with the wisdom of an expert, causing Cassia to toss her blonde hair back and shake her head.

"Bit bigger."

"D-cup?" Finnick guessed, causing a smirk to play about Cassia's lips, however she jumped when her mother Solana entered the room.

"Am I running a house of ill repute?"

Solana Vesper was a Victor like her daughter, having won the 56th Hunger Games. She was also a woman of extraordinary loveliness – something Cassia had always secretly envied. Although in her mid-thirties, Solana was still considered to be a great beauty, with dark chocolate brown hair that fell in waves past her shoulders and cornflower bright blue eyes. She had delicate features, porcelain skin and a tall yet curvaceous figure. Cassia ruminated that when one's mother was often considered the most beautiful woman in Panem, one was bound to be jealous of not having inherited that beauty.

Cassia was not an unattractive girl. She shared her mother's blue eyes and delicate features. But her hair was honey blonde and curly, her skin freckled. Although not what one would call short, she lacked her mother's height. She was not as voluptuous as Solana, but still had some womanly curves. In all, Cassia considered herself a poor copy of her mother. Someone people would call cute, maybe pretty. But definitely no radiant beauty.

"Where are your clothes?" Solana demanded, glancing between Finnick and Cassia. She had known Finnick for years – she had been his mentor during his Games and was practically like an older sister to him.

"Strip poker." Finnick immediately pointed an accusatory finger at Cassia, who was pulling her shirt over her head. "Her idea."

"Finnick, can I talk to you for a moment?" Solana's gaze rested upon him, and he shrugged, pushing himself to his feet.

"Sure."

He followed Solana out of Cassia's room, knowing that this was more than just a chastising for playing strip poker. Finnick knew the Vespers' house back to front – he spent more time there than he did at his own. It was lonely there by himself, and Solana and Cassia had become like family to him. They were both Victors, and Solana understood the pain of prostitution – a pain she had ensured Cassia would never know.

"It's Cass's first year mentoring." Solana bit her lip, remembering her own first year mentoring. It had been the 57th Hunger Games, and she had been four or five months pregnant with Cassia at the time. It was so difficult, to watch the Games and be haunted by the deaths that occurred in your own. "Can you take care of her?"

"Of course I will," Finnick assured her.

"If any of those Capitolian men approach her…" It was one of the things Solana feared the most, that President Snow would go back on his word and Cassia would be forced into prostitution, like she had been.

"I will cut their genitals off," Finnick said with a bemused smile.

"I'm just worried about her," Solana kept her voice low so Cassia wouldn't hear her. The girl was seventeen now and hated being treated like a child – especially when she had proved just last year that she wasn't one.

"I'll keep her safe," Finnick promised. "Always. She's like the sibling I never had."

Solana reached out and ruffled Finnick's bronze hair. "You're like the little brother I never had."

Finnick mocked a scowl. "Not the hair. It's too cool for you."

Solana scoffed, watching out of the corner of her eye as Cassia launched herself onto Finnick's back, wrapping her arms around his neck and legs around his waist to keep herself steady. Finnick groaned at the sudden weight, although Cassia couldn't have weighed too much more than a hundred and twenty pounds.

"Get off."

"Am I really that fat?" Cassia raised her eyebrows. When Finnick shook his head, she pointed downstairs. "Then to the kitchen, noble steed!"

Finnick walked into the kitchen and grabbed his bowl of pasta with Cassia still clinging to his back. He sat down on a chair and Cassia squealed as he pinned her with his weight. She wriggled furiously, but with him sitting on her there was no chance that she would be able to squirm her way free.

"Sorry, Cass. I win."

"Off! I want to eat too!" Cass commanded, watching as Finnick started hopping into the pasta. "_Finnick_!"

"My ears, they hurt," Solana quipped as she walked into the kitchen, looking amused to see Finnick sitting on her daughter. Cassia continued to squirm until Finnick relented, standing up and letting her out from underneath him. She smacked his arm and Solana shook her head.

"No violence in my house."

* * *

Kahlia shifted around in the bed, her feet tangling in she sheets and the shirt of Gale's she was wearing riding up. It was a common occurrence for the two of them to sleep in the same bed. It had been since the end of her Games. She was either with Kam or Gale. This meant she was used to the snoring, even when Gale was snoring in her ear.

She began to shift restlessly as vision from her Games flashed behind her eyelids. The nightmares were the one things she would never be able to get used to. Seeing the people she'd killed die over and over again, as well as the tributes that she had mentored and watched go to their death. You never escaped the Games no matter how hard you tried.

"Lia?" Gale shook her as she whimpered in her sleep, moving restlessly, tangling herself in the sheets even more.

He watched as she rolled over again, her hands fisting in the sheets as she began murmuring and sobbing in her sleep. Gale pulled her close against him. He hated seeing her in this state, he always felt helpless. He glanced down at her as she began to struggle as she woke up, trying to push herself away from him.

"Lia, relax, it's just me." He whispered in her ear, tightening his grip on her.

Kahlia was breathing heavily in her arms, her chest heaving up and down as she sobbed into his chest. He kissed the top of her head, stroking her hair. It was a few minutes before her crying stopped and she began to calm down, her breathing coming back to normal as she clung onto Gale, like he was her lifeline.

"I'm sorry." Kahlia muttered into his chest.

Gale continued to stroke her hair, rubbing her back with his other hand. "It's okay, Lia."

"I woke you up." Lia looked up at him, frowning.

"It's fine. Honestly." He sighed, rolling onto his back, his arm still around her.

"You must see me as being so weak." She murmured, clutching onto him tightly.

He kissed her cheek softly, playing with the ends of her hair. "You can't help it."

She snuggled against him, pulling the blankets around them tightly. "I don't deserve you."

"I want you." He whispered against her hair. Ever since they were kids people had often joked the two of them would end up together, and Gale was happy that it was a reality now. "Because you're brave."

Kahlia shook her head, sitting up and raking her hair out of her face. "I'm not brave."

"How are you not brave?" Gale sat up as well, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Lia shrugged him off, sighing heavily. "I run away from my problems. High tail in the other direction."

"There's no escaping the nightmares." Gale reasoned, reaching out to her again.

Kahlia let his hand fall on her shoulder as she stared at the sheet, picking at a loose thread. "It's everything, not just the nightmares."

"Like?" Lia glanced at Gale as he pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. He was always so seemingly tough, but she never missed seeing the softer side he reserved for her. Especially when it came to comforting her after nightmares.

"Every time I look or talk to dad… It just gets worse." She sighed heavily. It always sounded so stupid when she said it out loud.

"Because of Kam?" She glanced at him, nodding in response.

Kam's death had been hard on quite a few people, due to his friendly and upbeat nature. However, Lia, Gale and Haymitch had been impacted the most. Lia still sometimes expected Kam to crawl into her bed when he heard her having a nightmare. She still grieved her brother every day, with part of her wanting to let go, but the other part wanting to hold on.

"Try and sleep." Gale suggested, pulling her close as they lay down.

It wasn't long until Lia fell back asleep, with Gale watching over her.

* * *

Cassia changed into her pyjamas, as Finnick covered his eyes. It was kind of funny, the things that they had been so comfortable with in childhood that had suddenly become awkward. When Finnick stayed over with the Vespers, he usually shared a bed with Cassia, but now it seemed slightly strange to him. When he had been younger it hadn't mattered when Cassia had nonchalantly changed in front of him, but since she had developed curves a few years ago, it had suddenly become like a taboo.

"Done yet?" Finnick asked as Cassia tugged a singlet over her head, glancing at him with a grin.

"Yeah. Since when were you so embarrassed by it anyway?"

"It's just weird because you have boobs," Finnick commented, shifting over to make space as Cassia climbed into the bed beside him.

"Do my boobs intimidate you or something?" She laughed airily. "Fin, you've seen all kinds of boobs in the Capitol. Mum's like, an F. But I didn't tell you that."

"I won't." Finnick chuckled. Cassia was just so…open. Many Victors were traumatised by their Games, and he had no doubt that Cassia was, too. She hid it so well though, especially for a girl of her young age. Finnick remembered her Games last year all too well – most of Panem. Cassia Vesper, the killing machine from District 4 with the highest kill count in any Hunger Games.

"How many women have you slept with?" Cassia asked curiously, rolling onto her stomach. She didn't look like a murderer now, but Finnick remembered how ruthlessly she had finished off half of her allies in the Career pack, as well as quite a few other tributes. He shook such thoughts away. Cassia had only been that person to survive. "Like, more or less than a hundred?"

"More than fifty, less than a hundred," Finnick guessed. He didn't really keep count of the Capitolian women he'd slept with, because he didn't really like to talk about it.

"I've never had sex at all." Cassia grinned proudly, but beneath the surface, there was a reason to it. Cassia had no desire to become her mother, a woman used for other people's pleasure. When Cassia did it the first time, she wanted it to be _right._

"Good work," Finnick replied, before his tone became firmer. "Keep it that way."

"What?" Cassia couldn't understand why Finnick would want her to stay innocent. "I'm nearly eighteen."

"I don't care." Finnick stretched himself out. "Virgin for life, little Cass."

She scowled at that. "I'm not little."

"Yes, you are." His tone became amused. "You're so short."

Cassia rolled onto her side, frustration taking a hold of her. She was the youngest Victor in District 4, with even Annie being four years older than her. It didn't help that the others acted like she was about five years old.

"I'm sick of everyone treating me like a kid. You all baby me."

She pulled the blankets over her head and Finnick sighed, yanking them off again. He knew that Cassia wasn't a child. It was just sometimes hard to accept that she was nearly an adult now, still in that difficult transitional stage between girl and woman.

"Cass. I was kidding."

"I know about what Mum agreed to after my Games," Cassia said quietly. She had suspected…and hearing her mum talking to others, she had been certain.

After Solana had won her Games, her beauty had been her downfall. She was prostituted out to men of the Capitol, even having several clients during her Victory tour. One of these men had fathered Cassia. Poor Solana, at only seventeen years old, had become mother to a baby conceived through difficult circumstances. It had stopped, a few years ago. She had stopped sleeping with those Capitol men.

Then Cassia had won her Games, and there had been implications of having her follow in her mother's footsteps as a courtesan. Solana had offered herself up again in order to stop her daughter from suffering the same fate. That made Cassia feel immensely guilty – that her mother was selling her body in order to protect her.

"How?" Finnick questioned.

"Because I'm not stupid." Cassia sighed heavily. "She shouldn't have to do that for me. It's sick. It should be me instead."

"No, it shouldn't." Finnick hugged her close. He wanted to protect her, too. Some of the men in Capitol were sick – he had seen the damage they had done to Solana. He didn't think he could take it if they started hurting Cassia like that too.

"Why not? Fin, that's how I was conceived." Cassia's voice was somewhat sad. She had never known her father, and Solana had never brought a name up. Cassia wasn't sure if her mother didn't know who it was, or was just averse to telling her. "She shouldn't still be doing that. It's my turn to protect her now."

"It's her job to protect you, Cass," Finnick informed her. Solana had been protective of Cassia for as long as he had known the Vespers.

"They hurt her." Cassia balled her small hands into fists, angry at the thought of what Capitolian men did to her mum. "Do they ever hurt you?"

"Sometimes," Finnick murmured, not really wanting to discuss the topic. Cassia was innocent in that way at least – the last shred of naivety clinging to her still. He didn't think he could bear it if the Capitol tore that from her.


	3. Behind Enemy Lines

**Chapter Two: Behind Enemy Lines**

* * *

**A/N: So...not too many reviews for the last chapter guys :( We would really like to know what you think of Cassia and Kahlia as characters.**

**Also for reasons that will become obvious later, in our story, Gale is reaped for the 74th Hunger Games instead of Peeta.**

**Please review, we'd love to hear your thoughts :)**

* * *

_"Little freak."_

_Cassia landed heavily on the stones, grazing her knees and cutting the palms of her hands. She bit her lip, but didn't dare cry despite the fact that her bottom lip was trembling. The boy who had shoved her, Wesley, was twelve – four years older than her. He was old enough to be in the Reapings now. He hauled her to her feet, tugging harshly on the twin braids either side of her head. Cassia yelped._

_"Did your mummy braid your hair for you?" Wesley taunted. "Everyone knows she sleeps around. Bet she doesn't even know who your dad is. Freak."_

_"I'm not a freak!" Cassia yelled. "And don't speak about my mum like that!"_

_Her fist flew into Wesley's nose and he staggered backwards. She felt vicious satisfaction, when she saw blood pouring down his face as his expression contorted in anger. He stepped towards her, but before he could push her again, someone stepped between them – Finnick Odair, the fourteen-year-old Victor of the recent 65__th__ Hunger Games._

_"You're going to pick on a girl half your size?" Finnick demanded, folding his arms over his chest. Despite his young age, he was already close to six feet tall, and unfairly good-looking. Cassia peeked out from behind him, watching as Wesley cowered before him. Even he wasn't game enough to stand up to a Victor. He turned on his heel and sprinted off, making Finnick grin in satisfaction, before turning to Cassia._

_"You okay, kiddo?"_

_"I'm fine," Cassia murmured, inspecting the grazes on her palms and knees._

_"Come on." Finnick squatted down and gestured for her to jump on his back. "Let's get you to your mum so she can fix you up."_

* * *

Cassia gasped her way into consciousness, sweat sticking the sheets to her limbs. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Not a nightmare exactly, which was fortunate. She glanced at Finnick, sleeping peacefully beside her. He had been so good to her when she had been a child, although she had assumed at the time it was just because of her mother. The other Victors couldn't help but love Solana due to her natural friendliness and kind personality.

Cassia…Cassia had been another story. She raked a hand through her tangled blonde curls. There was a feistiness to her, a strength of will. She was unwilling to back down and unapologetic about who she was. That was what caused her to make enemies – she had always been brutally honest and unafraid, even as a child not the sort of girl who could easily be bullied.

Yet some of the nastier district children had tried anyway. It wasn't frowned upon to be born to unmarried parents, but when people knew your father was an unnamed Capitolian, the word 'bastard' got thrown around more than it should. Finnick defended her where he could, but Cassia somewhat liked getting to fight her own battles. She wanted to prove to the kids of District 4 that there was nothing Capitolian about her. In her mind, she might as well not have a father. Her mother was all that mattered.

Cassia had known most of the other Victors from District 4 she had been a squealing newborn baby. Apart from Finnick and Annie. She had first met Finnick properly during his Games, when she had been eight. She had met Annie five years later, at the age of thirteen. It was nice to make some friends closer to her age – her mother was the next youngest District 4 Victor aside from herself, Finnick and Annie.

Mentoring was going to be difficult, Cassia knew that. Her own Games had been hard enough. Seeing the violence on television was very different to being amongst it – and so she had been forced to shut off any of her humanity, because it could destroy her. Her tactic had succeeded, she'd won the 73rd Hunger Games. But now, most of Panem saw her as a cold-blooded killer and little more.

Cassia rolled onto her side and attempted to get back to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. She was unhappy that her mother wouldn't be there to guide her, but at least she would have Finnick. That thought caused her to smile softly, before she closed her eyes and dreamed of a better place.

* * *

Kahlia looked over her reflection in the mirror as she fixed up her hair, pulling it up and out of her face. She wanted to make it tidy, but part of her just couldn't be bothered. She sighed heavily, pulling it out and tugging her brush through it before putting it half up, half down. Gale watched her as she fussed over her appearance, stretching out on the bed and grinning at her when she looked at him through the mirror.

"Are you wearing that to the reaping?" Gale questioned in reference to his shirt that she was still wearing.

Kahlia grinned, winking at him. "I would, but it's a bit short." Gale laughed at her remark, watching as she walked over towards him. "You look very nice."

"Thanks." Gale chuckled, smiling down at her as she fixed his shirt. "What are you wearing?"

Kahlia pulled him close, wrapping her arms around him, not wanting to let go. "The dress in my bag."

Gale held her close, resting his chin on her head. "You'll look great."

Kahlia kissed his cheek before wandering over to her bag and pulling out a soft beige dress. It was simplistic in nature, with a high neck and a peplum flare. However, most of her dresses were designed to be short, to highlight the length of her legs. She pulled Gale's shirt over her head before slipping the dress on. She could feel Gale watching her, his eyes boring into her back.

"Zip it up, please?" She glanced at him over her shoulder, smiling when he did. "Thanks."

Gale kissed her cheek, following her as she walked out of his room, heading towards the kitchen. Kahlia glanced around the small kitchen as she walked into it, kissing the top of Posy's head as she passed the young girl. Out of all Gale's siblings, she connected with her the most and always missed her during the Games.

"You being good, kiddo?"

Posy smiled at her as Lia sat down beside her. "Of course."

Kahlia smiled, glancing at Gale who sat next to her. "Good."

Hazelle handed both her and Gale a plate of toast. "You look lovely."

"Thank you, Hazelle." Kahlia glanced down at the food, forcing herself to eat it.

Gale ate the food set in front of him quickly, glancing across at Lia who had barely eaten anything. He knew she was like that on Reaping days. They'd always made her feel queasy since her Games.

Hazelle took both of their plates once that had finished eating. "You two should go. You don't want to be late."

"Okay." Gale nodded, getting to his feet.

Hazelle hugged him as he walked towards the door, not wanting to let her eldest go. She reluctantly let go, watching as Lia grabbed his hand, the two of them walking out of the house. They were both quiet as they walked towards the Justice Building hand-in-hand.

Gale glanced down at the joined hands when Lia's grip tightened. "Lia, it'll be okay."

Kahlia nodded, sighing heavily. "I know. I should go find dad."

"Okay. I'll see you later." Gale nodded, letting go of her hand.

Kahlia pulled him close for a moment, pressing her lips to his. Gale kissed her back, his hand resting on her hip. Lia kissed his cheek as she pulled away, walking off to find her father, although she already knew he'd be stumbling around drunkenly somewhere. Meanwhile, Gale wandered off to where all of the eighteen-year-olds males were.

* * *

Cassia sat quietly as Finnick spoke to the tributes, a glass of juice in hand as she stared absently out the window. The girl was of the reasonable age of sixteen, but the boy was painfully young at only twelve years old. Cassia had killed a twelve-year-old in her Games. She had covered his mouth and slit his throat. The thought made the juice in her mouth taste bitter.

After the Reaping, Cassia had bid her mother a brief farewell before getting on the train with the others. Solana had been very solemn, but Cassia had shrugged her concerns off. She was seventeen, hardly a child anymore. She didn't need her mother babying her, it was just embarrassing.

"Cute kids," Cassia said flatly as Finnick shooed them away to go and rest up before they got to the Capitol. He walked over and sprawled on the couch beside her, shaking his head ruefully.

"Too cute. They're dead."

"Don't." Cassia hated hearing him speak so bluntly, even if it was possibly the truth. The horrors those two would have to face…she didn't like thinking about it. Her mother was right, the first year was bound to be the most difficult. "Don't say that."

"Why?" Finnick questioned, watching as Cassia pushed herself to her feet and headed over to the drinks table, pushing aside the juices and searching for something alcoholic. "What are you doing?"

"I need a drink, okay Finnick?" Cassia's voice was hard. She didn't normally resort to drinking, but with her fellow mentor claiming their tributes were already dead, she really needed something to calm her nerves. Why was he being so pessimistic?

"You're not old enough," Finnick said, although admittedly she would be eighteen by December.

"I don't care," Cassia said dismissively, pouring herself a colourful cocktail anyway.

"I do." Finnick grabbed her arm and attempted to pry the cocktail out of her hand, but she pushed him away. He sighed. "Cass…"

"This is hard," Cassia admitted, never one to procrastinate. "Especially with you saying our tributes are dead. Is it always this hard?"

"Yes." Finnick knew there was no point in lying to Cassia, especially considering she would be mentoring for the next few years at least. It was difficult to train these kids and then watch them die, but that was just the way things were.

"I really need a drink." Cassia raised the cocktail to her lips, causing Finnick to frown.

"Cass. What would your mum say?"

"To be honest?" Cassia's tone took on a bitter quality. "I don't think she would care if I had a drink."

Finnick sighed, realising that he wasn't going to win an argument with someone as stubborn as Cassia. Instead he grabbed a drink of his own. If she was going to be consuming alcohol, he might as well prepare himself for the Capitol as well. He sprawled on the couch, watching as Cassia leaned against the table, sipping at her cocktail at a slow pace that indicated she was not a habitual drinker.

Finnick's gaze raked over her. It had only been a year since she'd won her Games, yet there was no doubting Cassia Vesper was no longer a child. Although she wasn't a radiant beauty, she was a pretty girl…and Finnick didn't know why he was noticing. Cassia noticed his intense gaze, frowning.

"You're staring at me. Why?"

Finnick shrugged. In all honesty, even he didn't know why he had been looking at Cassia. Maybe it had been an observation of how much she'd changed, or perhaps it had been a more personal interest. All Finnick knew was that she certainly wasn't the little eight-year-old he had first met during the 65th Hunger Games.

* * *

Kahlia raked a hand through her hair as she walked into Gale's room, the train moving swiftly and smoothly beneath her. As she walked in she saw that Gale was sitting on his bed, staring at his hands. She walked over towards him, hugging him tightly as he stood up. Gale hugged her back, stroking her hair as she buried her face in his neck.

"You said it would be okay." Lia spoke softly, her breath tickling his neck.

Gale held her close, kissing the top of her head. "I thought it would."

"You can win." Kahlia drew back slightly, looking up at him with her big grey eyes.

Gale nodded, not positive whether he could or not. "Maybe."

"You can. I did." Lia pointed out, causing Gale to sigh. "You have to win."

"I'll try." He whispered, kissing her cheek.

"We'll get you sponsors." She promised, knowing she had to do everything she could to get him help to get him out alive.

"I know. I trust you." He smiled a small smile as she sat down on the bed.

Gale sat down beside her, watching a she curled up on her side. She looked smaller and more fragile somehow, like when she had first gotten out of her Games. He still remembered what she had been like then. Jumping at the slightest sound, not sleeping or eating, the constant nightmares. It made him sad to know she went through that, and no matter how much he helped, he couldn't truly understand it.

He shifted slightly, laying beside her and putting his arm around her, smiling when she hugged his arm to her chest, lacing her fingers with his. She had been worse when Kam had been killed. It had never helped her that Haymitch wasn't an overly good parent. Gale knew he tried, but there was only so much you could deal with in your life. He knew Haymitch had been young when Lia and Kam came along, and it got harder after his wife died.

Kahlia and Kam had spent most of their childhood with Gale at his house, with Hazelle raising them as her own. The two always brought them food and money, even when Hazelle didn't want it. Lia had always insisted, saying that Haymitch only ever used it for alcohol, and that was something he could eventually live without whether he wanted to or not.

It had been weird after Kahlia had won, though. She'd become a shell of the person she once was and Gale often wished things could go back to the way they were when they were kids. Not a care in the world, running around the district together and getting filthy. The most fond memories he had were of them constantly getting in trouble, always being taken back home to Hazelle who would act angry only until they were alone. Then they'd laugh and tell stories before going to bed. They'd been small enough to all fit in the one bed then.

That's what Gale truly wanted, his childhood back. He wanted Kam to bed back so Kahlia had someone in her family who she could truly rely on. But most of all, he just wanted the young girl he'd fallen for back, not the shell of who she now was. They were the thoughts he fell asleep with as he held Lia close, her even breathing signalling she too was asleep.


	4. The Capitol

**Chapter Three: The Capitol**

* * *

**A/N: So, here's the next chapter! A little disappointed about the lack of reviews, though :/ We do put a lot of effort into these chapters, so it would be nice to get a few. Do you think we can aim for 20?**

* * *

Finnick walked into the apartment to see Cassia swilling a brandy bottle. He couldn't quite suppress a frustrated sigh. Of course, he had known that this would be difficult for her, but he hadn't expected her to become a sudden alcohol fan. He wasn't going to see her turn out like Haymitch.

"Cass? Are you drunk?"

"Not extremely." Cassia shifted herself into a sitting position, frowning as she noticed his disappointed expression. "What? Finnick, I need to stress less."

Finnick sank down onto the couch beside her, putting an arm around her and drawing her close. Cassia put the bottle aside, leaning against him and causing him to smile. She had always been a wayward girl, and Solana had feared that Cassia would lose herself when she had to return to the Capitol. Yet Finnick understand what it was like to need some sense of comfort.

"When does it end?" Cassia whispered.

"It doesn't," Finnick admitted darkly, wrapping his arms tighter around her as he felt her body tense. He wanted to lie, but he had promised himself that he would be honest with Cassia. The pain might be the strongest now, and it might fade – but there always other hurts that came with being a Victor.

"You shouldn't let them use you," Cassia murmured, and he knew that she was talking about the Capitol women.

"I can't help it," Finnick confessed, raking a hand through his hair. "They'll hurt the people I care about. You and your mum. Mags."

"You've been doing this for years," Cassia pointed out, "Surely it's long enough."

"It isn't for them." Finnick watched as the blonde girl extricated herself from his arms, pushing herself to her feet. It was obvious that his predicament affected her, although she would never understand it herself. "Cass? You need to stop worrying about me. I'm a big boy now."

Cassia ignored his feeble attempt at humour. "And I'm a big girl."

Finnick got up, realising what she meant. Cassia was tired of people trying to protect her, but he would rather stab himself than see her go through the same pain he was forced to endure, that her mother was forced to endure. At least Cassia was an innocent and that regard, and he was going to keep it that way.

"I can't lose you," he said, hugging her close only to have her shrug him off, "Cass, please don't push me away."

"I'm going to bed," she said flatly. He reached out to touch her shoulder, but she brushed him away, causing him to flinch. Cassia stared at her feet, rubbing her arms miserably, looking up Finnick sat down heavily. "I can't get close to people. I won't. Fin, you should understand that."

"I don't." Finnick didn't get why she was pushing him away. He and Cassia had always been close, he had always looked after her. So why did it hurt so much more now? "I never had anyone to get close to."

"Good." Cassia clenched her jaw. "It just hurts when you do."

"It's better than feeling lonely," Finnick stated coolly, getting to his feet once more. All he had were other Victors, such as Cassia and her mother, Mags. She looked at him incredulously.

"How can you be lonely?" Cassia asked, a sour note entering her voice as she strived to push him away even more. "You have a woman to keep you company whenever you so desire."

Finnick's green eyes narrowed at her words. "I'm a paid whore. I don't do it because I desire to. I do it for our tributes and to make sure the people I love aren't harmed. Don't think for a second I enjoy it. The nightmares never end."

"Don't say that!" Cassia cried. She wanted to believe that her constant dreams of cannibalistic Titus, the sadist Mordecai and the tributes she'd had to kill in order to live, would go away in time. She couldn't cope with it if they didn't.

"It's true," Finnick said bluntly.

Cassia turned on her hair and stormed into her room, curly blonde hair bouncing with each angry stride. She crawled under the blankets, the one place where she was safe…until she closed her eyes, and the nightmares came back to haunt her once again. Finnick hesitated, before following her, peering into her room to see that the girl had buried herself in the blankets.

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?"

Cassia peered out from under the blankets. "Okay."

Finnick peeled his shirt off and climbed into bed beside her. She needed this, and he did as well. He found comfort in having Cassia so close, having someone to share things with. He wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her close, and Cassia was all too happy to curl up to him. She stayed awake long enough to listen to Finnick's soft breathing, wondering what she could do to get rid of her humiliating crush on him, wondering if pushing him away was even working anymore.

* * *

Kahlia shifted in her sleep, her body half off of the bed due to Gale taking up most of the bed. He was snoring softly, his arm around her waist loosely. Kahlia jolted awake as Gale rolled on top of her, causing her to gasp for breath and start squirming. She was curious as to when he had gotten so heavy, but she put it down to the years of hunting and gaining muscle.

"Gale…" Lia kept squirming, earning a groan from him as he began to stir.

Kahlia hit his arm repeatedly until he rolled off of her. She rolled onto her back, taking deep breaths, grateful that she could breathe again properly. She stretched out, glancing at Gale who was gradually drawing himself from his sleeping state.

"Sorry."

"God you're heavy." Lia shook her head, sitting up.

"Maybe I can crush the other tributes." Gale joked, though from her expression, her knew Lia found no amusement in what he had said. "What time is it?"

Kahlia glanced over at the clock before answering him, "Nine."

Gale sat up, watching as Kahlia got to her feet. Lia went through the clothes in the drawer before walking into the bathroom, peeling of her pyjamas and changing into some leggings and a tank top. Once she fixed her hair Lia walked back into the room, flopping back on the bed beside Gale.

Gale glanced at her, "When do we get to the Capitol?"

"Tomorrow some time." Lia sighed, crawling into his lap and leaning back against him, stifling a yawn.

Gale wrapped his arms around her waist, smiling against her neck. "Tired?"

Lia shifted closer, closing her eyes. "Just waking up."

Gale nodded, pulling her closer against him, resting his head on her shoulder. "How is Katniss doing?"

"She's alright, I think." Kahlia hadn't spoken to the other girl very much since they'd gotten on the train, but she was fairly sure the other girl was still wrapping her head around it. "I'm going to get some breakfast."

"Food?" Gale pushed her off his lap getting to his feet.

Kahlia couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head. "Yes, food."

* * *

_"Jacey!"_

_The sound of the District 2 girl's screams had drawn Bronze, the boy from District 1, and Cassia into a run, searching for the source of the sound. Already, Cassia knew that her ally was doomed – just as doomed as Diamond and Kane, whose throats she had slit only the night before. As doomed as Remy, her district partner, who had been the first tribute to die in the 73__rd__ Hunger Games, crushed to death._

_Jacey was on the ground, her body limp and draped over a crate as Bronze and Cassia sprinted into the warehouse. Her cannon resonated throughout the arena, and Cassia froze as she realised who had killed Jacey – the boy from District 6. Titus. Her throat went dry. The three of them had all seen what Titus was capable of doing. The boy didn't even look up as Bronze and Cassia approached._

_Bronze caught Cassia's arm with bruising tightness, and she saw that his entire face had become a mask of disgust. Titus was bent over Jacey's immobile body…and Cassia felt bile rising in her throat. She had pledged to put aside her humanity, her morals, anything that would compromise her emotionally. But she had not been prepared to watch her ally, her possible only friend, being eaten by Titus. Eaten._

_Titus looked up from Jacey's body, eyes shining with madness, mouth smeared with blood and gore. Bronze's hand went slack and his scream of horror pierced Cassia's ears like a white-hot knife…_

Cassia jerked up into a sitting position, clutching at the sheets and screaming. Beside her, Finnick immediately jolted awake at the high-pitched sound. When he looked up, he noticed that Cassia was curled into a ball beside him, hyperventilating. He recognised the symptoms immediately. She'd had another nightmare about her Games. Finnick shifted closer, a little hesitantly.

"Hey, hey. It's me. It's Finnick."

Cassia raked her hands through her tangle of blonde curls, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down. What she had seen was perhaps the most horrific memory of her Games, of how mad they could make people. Finnick put an arm around her, feeling her body shaking.

"It was Titus," Cassia whispered. Finnick remembered Titus all too well – the boy from 6 who had turned cannibalistic, who had started devouring Cassia's ally from 2. He had never seen anything that disgusting in the Games before, and he hoped he wouldn't see anything like it again.

"He can't hurt you," Finnick assured her.

"I know." Cassia blinked back tears. "But it hurts to remember."

Finnick held her close, remembering all too well the painful memories of his own Games. Cassia clutched at him, fingers digging into his arms. He kissed the top of her head, wishing she had never gone into the Games and could have remained the innocent child he had first met what seemed like so long ago.

"I feel sick," Cassia groaned, causing Finnick to help her into the bathroom. She staggered across and vomited in the toilet, and Finnick held her blonde hair out of her face. He rubbed her back and she made a small noise that was half-sob, half-groan. When Cassia was certain she wouldn't vomit again, she pushed herself to her feet and splashed her face with water, rinsing out her mouth.

"Better?" Finnick asked, earning a small nod from her. He kissed her cheek and she looked up at him with big blue eyes.

"Will you stay?"

"Of course," Finnick replied, causing Cassia to hug him, burying her face in his bare chest. He hugged back, watching as she drew back and smothered a yawn.

"I'm sleepy."

Finnick picked her up and carried her back into her room, setting her down and watching her crawl under the blankets. It was a sad sight, to see how broken Cassia had become. She had been so full of strength and spirit – but Finnick could see that the Games had had a huge impact on her. He sat beside her, stroking her hair softly.

"Don't go," she pleaded.

"I won't," Finnick assured her, lying down next to her and wishing he could somehow take her pain away as she snuggled up beside him. Solana had already suffered through the Games, and more. It just didn't seem fair that the same was happening to her daughter.

* * *

Kahlia followed Gale into their Capitolian apartment. She hated this place with a passion. Every time she came here with the tributes, it was only ever her and Haymitch who left the Capitol alive. She prayed this year would be different. She wanted Gale to come home; she needed him to survive this. Part of her thought this notion to be selfish, but he was one of the only things that had kept her from losing her mind to the insanity of her nightmares.

"Wow..." Gale gasped as he looked around the place in awe, glancing at Katniss who had a similar expression on her face.

Katniss ran her fingers over the fabric of the lounge. "It's so big."

Haymitch grabbed a glass of brandy before sitting on the couch. "Don't get used to it."

"You could be nicer." Kahlia told him as she walked over to the fridge, pulling out a cold bottle of water.

Gale chuckled as Haymitch rolled his eyes. He sometimes wondered who was more of a parent; Kahlia or Haymitch. Lia downed the bottle of water before walking over to Gale, wrapping her arms around him from behind. Gale smiled, resting his arms over hers as she pressed against him, her breath tickling his neck. Katniss glanced at them as she sat down beside Haymitch, who was making a face at the display of affection.

"Please, not in public."

"Bite me." Kahlia kissed Gale's shoulder, resting her head against it, not caring for her father's discomfort.

Katniss couldn't help but laugh a little, crossing her legs. "I'm sure if Haymitch had it his way... It wouldn't be happening at all."

"When do I ever get my way with you?" Haymitch looked at Kahlia, earning a grin from her.

Kahlia pulled away from Gale, standing beside him. "Never."

"Exactly." Haymitch grumbled, sipping his drink.

Lia shook her head before wandering into her room, Gale trailing after her. Katniss watched them go, leaning back in the chair. She didn't know Haymitch overly well, but she had met him on occasion when she had been to Kahlia's for dinner. She had seen how close Lia and Gale had become and worried about what would happen if he died in the Games.

"I worry about those two."

"I think we all do." Haymitch sighed heavily.

Katniss glanced at him, "Do you think either of us can win this?"

"I hope so."

* * *

Cassia wandered out of her room, still in her pyjamas, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Finnick was already at the table scoffing down breakfast, which caused a smile to curve the corners of her lips.

"Always hungry."

Finnick turned to glance over his shoulder. "It's true."

Cassia sat down across from him, suddenly aware that he was watching her intently. She became embarrassed, unused to such attention. Maybe she had something on her face. Then she remembered that her curls had a way of becoming particularly errant in the mornings, and decided that must be what Finnick was looking at.

"What? My hair's frizzy in the morning."

She patted her hair down, and Finnick reached across to push a curl behind her ear. Cassia raised her eyebrows at the tender gesture.

"Are you trying to work your charms on me, Odair?"

"Of course not," Finnick said, the epitome of innocence. Cassia shifted into his lap, grabbing a piece of his toast and taking a substantial bite.

"Stop trying to seduce me, it might work." Part of her wanted him to. The other part knew that Finnick just saw her as a little sister. They were close, but not in the way she childishly wanted to be. She leaned back against him.

"Might it?" Finnick inquired.

"Don't you dare," Cassia stated, "You know it would work."

She pushed herself off Finnick's lap and wandered into her room. Was it easier to push Finnick away? It was just a stupid crush, she was sure of it. But she needed to keep him distant, to prevent herself doing something that she might regret. Finnick Odair was the most gorgeous man in Panem. She was just Cassia, and although she had known him for almost ten years, she was nothing more than family to him.


End file.
